Guanidine compounds have many interesting and important biomedical effects and consequently many uses. They are for example used as free radical scavengers, inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) preventing nitric oxide formation. They are known to have certain anti-proliferative effects on cells. The guanidines are also used as “anti-aging” drugs, wherein the effect is achieved by protection from low density lipoprotein oxidation, by prevention of atherosclerotic lesions formation, by retarding the tissue damaging effects of diabetes, e.g. cardiovascular damage, through inhibition of the formation of advanced glycosylation end products (AGE's) as described in the following scientific publications (Yildiz et al. Br J Pharmacol, 1998 July; 124 (5): 905-910; Scaccini et al, J lipid Res, 1994, Vol 35, 1085-1092; Higashi et al, J Biochem, 2004, Vol 136, No 4, 533-539; Szende et al, Cancer Cell Int, 2001, 1:3; Sell et al, J Gerontol Soc Am, 2001, 56: B405-B411; Wang et al, World J Gastroenterol. 2005, Jul. 7:11, (25) 3830-3833; Zhang et al, World J Gastroenterol. 2001, Jun. 7, 3):331-334; J P Beissweniger, Dartmouth Med, http//dartmed.dartmouth.edu/summer00/html/bench_to_bedside.shtml. Aminoguanidine is currently supplied as a non-prescription drug in the United States and its role in the treatment of various diseases is investigated in clinical studies. The inhibitory effect of agmatine on proliferation of tumor cells by modulation of polyamine metabilism is described in Wang et al., Acata Pharmacologica Sinica 2005, May; 26(5): 616-622.
Since more than five decades dextran is an established pharmaceutical used for preventing hypovolemic chock, preventing embolism and improving microcirculation. Dextran and its non-toxic properties and high tolerability is very well documented (A S Segal, 1964 In: Modern medical monographs, ed. Wright, I S, Green & Stratton, NY, London, pp 5-17. Therefore, it is often used as an example of pharmaceutically applicable hydroxypolymers.